An explosion caused by an apparent gas leak destroyed a house on Long Island today, killing a toddler and sending 14 other people to the hospital, authorities said.
Sitting atop the pile of rubble was a child’s bunk bed. Clothing from the house could be seen on the other side of a neighbor’s house hanging 30 feet in the air from a tree.
Surrounding houses also were damaged during the blast, which occurred just before noon, in Brentwood.
An 18-month-old boy, pulled from the rubble and taken to the hospital, died a short time later, authorities said.
Residents, neighbors, a plumber and rescuers were among those who were hurt or suffered from smoke inhalation.
Three of them were in serious condition, officials said.
“The initial investigation is it could be gas related,” said Brentwood Fire Department Inspector Robert Keane.
He said at least one propane tank was on the premises. National Grid said apparently no natural gas was used in the house or on the entire block.
“Everything shook,” said Dave Grant, who heard the explosion and raced about seven blocks to the scene.
When he arrived, he heard a policewoman yelling, “We need help! We need help!”
He saw other officers holding up part of the roof and “I just dove in to help.”
“We just grabbed one guy in there. They lifted that roof up to get the guy out,” he added. “You could smell the gas as we’re trying taking them out.”
In the aftermath, rescuers looked for victims in a massive pile of rubble. Cops closed off the area as investigators continued to sift through the debris looking for the exact cause of the explosion.
With AP